It’s a Whole... : NEW GAME

The man’s idea of a three-piece suit is a shirt, ironed jeans and a pair of cowboy boots.

His concept of a seven-course meal is Texas toast, French fries, onion rings,fried cheese, hamburger (medium rare),a chocolate shake and cheesecake.

He has two books in his office at Dodger Stadium. One is by a country singer, “George Jones: I Lived to Tell It All.” The other is by former teammate Jay Johnstone: “Some of My Best Friends Are Crazy.”

So why should anyone be surprised that instead of having a traditional wedding, Dodger Manager Bill Russell would fly to Las Vegas, pay $35 to a justice of the peace and be married faster than you can say, “Play Ball!”

“Hey, what more do you need?” says Russell, who was married in January to Susan Giarratano. “I even got to see Dennis Rodman walking around with a woman on each arm. You can’t beat that.”

Russell, who today reports for duty as the first new Dodger manager here in 20 years, knows that life will be different. He’s starting fresh, not completing someone else’s season. His accomplishments will be stacked up against those of Tom Lasorda. His personality will be compared to Walter Alston’s. Expectations will be high.

“Tommy replaced a Hall of Famer and I’m replacing a Hall of Famer,” Russell said. “Those two guys were winners. I have to be a winner today. I know that’s added pressure, but that’s just normal.

“When you put on that Dodger uniform, there’s a winning tradition. You’re just expected to win. There’s nothing wrong with that.

“I’d just like to keep that tradition going.”

It really makes no difference to Russell how he is perceived, by critics or anyone else. He won’t change his personality. He has no plans to hit the banquet circuit, let alone start pitching diet aids.

Russell’s goal is simple. He wants the Dodgers to be among baseball’s elite again. And the way he figures it, a World Series ring would be the perfect proof of that.

“There will be changes, I promise you,” Russell said matter-of-factly. “Expectations will be different. It’s time this team has an identity. And it’s time for this team to be back in the World Series.

“I’m taking for granted that this team will be back in the playoffs, but that’s not good enough anymore. We’ve got to get past that. This team hasn’t won a playoff game since 1988, and that’s got to change.

“The ultimate goal is to be in the World Series.

“It’s that simple.

“No one should be satisfied with anything less.”

Russell’s attitude is in no way similar to the Dodgers’ braggadocio last spring. No one this year is boasting that this is the team to beat. No one is saying they will intimidate the opposition. Of course, there’s a reason for that. You don’t blow a division title to the San Diego Padres, lose three consecutive games in the playoffs once again, and come out bragging.

“The pain has gone away,” Russell said. “But what happened last year will not be forgotten, believe me.”

Thus, when the entire Dodger contingent convenes Feb. 20 here at Dodgertown, Russell is going to make his message loud and clear:

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

He intends to let everyone know there is a new sheriff in town and whoever breaks the rules will pay the price.

Remember when Dodgers would jog to first base on routine ground balls? Those days are over. Russell is demanding that everyone run to first base or sit out the rest of the game.

Remember when the Dodgers would straggle into the clubhouse, saunter onto the field for stretching, and pay no mind to the time? Those days are over. Anyone late will be fined, perhaps benched.

“I don’t think I’m asking much,” Russell said. “I was a player once, I’m in their corner. I’m there to help them.

“But it’s not a one-way street. I have to have something back.”

Russell says his discipline will not be prejudiced by talent, age or ego. Everyone will abide by the same rules. If it means the Dodgers will be at a disadvantage for a game or two, so be it.

“To me, that’s the way it should be,” center fielder Brett Butler said. “There were times when guys flippantly went out there, and that’s not right. This shouldn’t be baby-sitting. It’s a responsibility and obligation to play hard.

“There are boundaries that need to be set here. He needs to set his own boundaries, not boundaries that were Lasorda’s.

“Lets face it, Tommy has a special relationship with Mike [Piazza]. Tommy has a special relationship with me. He has a special relationship with Eric [Karros]. That’s not a cut on Tommy by any means, but some guys were treated better than others.

“Billy is a no-nonsense guy. He’s going to treat everybody the same. If I loaf to first base, I expect him to be on me the way he would anyone else. Billy’s not going to say that he demands our respect. He wants to earn it.

“And by the same means, we have to earn his respect.”

Veteran pitcher Tom Candiotti thinks, too, that the change in attitude will do the Dodgers a world of good.

“It’s going to be great to have discipline, and I think it will make a huge difference,” he said. “You see a guy straggling down to stretching or some guy not running hard to first base, it has a carry-over. You say, ‘Well, if it’s OK for them, it’s OK for me.’ It sends the wrong kind of message to everyone.

“You look at Mondy [Raul Mondesi], and I can count on one hand the amount of times he’s never hustled to first base. Some other guys, you can see that many in a week. Billy’s not afraid to get in anybody’s face, and now that he’s in charge, he’s going to set the tone.

“Maybe we can end this three-and-out stuff.”

The Dodgers, trying to reach the playoffs three consecutive years, once again will be favored to win the National League West title. They won 90 games last year with an offense that ranked next to last in batting average and last in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They see no reason they can’t win 95 games, with only a little improvement.

“I don’t think there are any secrets here with this club,” said Fred Claire, executive vice president. “I expect us to be better than we were last year. And Billy will be even more comfortable this year, running the team from the start and implementing his own ideas.

“Billy’s a guy who has always abided by the rules. I don’t recall him ever being late for anything. He was always a team player. He was never afraid to speak out then, and he’s not now.

“We’ve been talking, and for this team, and this group of players, now is their time. It’s time for them to put a mark on how they want to be remembered in Dodger history.

“To me, there are no excuses for what happened last year. If somebody’s got one, I’d like to hear it. We just failed at the finish line.

“You can’t say last year was not a good season. How do you win 90 games and not have a good season? But what happened last year was that we failed to seize the opportunity that was there. That’s something that every member of this team needs to think about.”

Claire added, “If we’re fortunate to get in the playoffs again this year, and not win a playoff game, would I term that a successful season?

“Absolutely not.”

Here at Dodgertown, it seems to be time for a change.

“I’ll let that be known,” Russell said. “Believe me, they will know.”

Dodger Notes

Bob Graziano, formerly the Dodgers’ vice president of finance, has been named executive vice president.

* NL PREVIEW: Ross Newhan analyzes the National League picture heading into spring training. C11